Lens arrangement and a monitoring camera comprising the lens arrangement

ABSTRACT

A lens arrangement for a monitoring camera and a monitoring camera including a lens arrangement is provided. The lens arrangement includes a lens member having a connection portion with an outer thread, an adjustment member having a through hole for receiving the connection portion and an inner thread corresponding to the outer thread, a holder member having a receiving portion for receiving the connection portion and an inner thread corresponding to the outer thread. The lens arrangement is assembled by the connection portion being screwed into the through hole and further into the receiving portion. The receiving portion has a top engagement surface and the adjustment member has a bottom engagement surface. The adjustment member is movable relative to the holder member by screwing between non-engaging and engaging states. In the engaging state, the bottom engagement surface wedgingly engages with the top engagement surface for locking the lens member.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/353,201, filed Nov. 16, 2016, which is incorporated by reference asif fully set forth.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a lens arrangement and a monitoring cameracomprising such a lens arrangement.

BACKGROUND

Monitoring cameras such as network cameras may be used in many differentsituations, both indoors and outdoors, to monitor a scene. Theversatility of monitoring cameras has led to an increased demand forcost effective production of monitoring cameras. To meet this demand, itis desirable to reduce, not only the cost of the components of themonitoring cameras, but also the costs associated with the assembly ofthem.

A monitoring camera comprises a plurality of components such as ahousing, a lens arrangement and an image sensor as well as supportstructures for securing components within the monitoring camera. Theassembly of the monitoring camera therefore requires a plurality ofsteps which may be complicated, time consuming and costly. Furthermore,the assembly requires high precision. Small deviations in the relativeposition of the components within the monitoring camera may for examplelead to misalignment reducing performance of the monitoring camera.Proper alignment of the optical components of the monitoring camera isespecially critical as a small deviation may significantly reduce theimage quality achieved by the monitoring camera.

It is further desirable to increase the robustness and the durability ofthe monitoring cameras. To this end, it is desirable to find solutionsfor reducing problems associated with vibrations and other changes inthe environment of the monitoring camera which may degrade itsperformance before, during or after the installation of the monitoringcamera at a scene.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lens arrangementmitigating at least some of the problems disclosed above. It is anobject of the present invention to further provide a lens arrangementallowing for improved arrangement and positioning of a lens member in aholder member. A further object is for the lens arrangement to allow forimproved locking and alignment of the lens member relative to the holdermember. According to a first aspect of the invention, this and otherobjects that will be evident from the following description are achievedby providing a lens arrangement for a monitoring camera, the lensarrangement comprising: a lens member having a connection portionprovided with an outer thread, an adjustment member having a throughhole for receiving the connection portion and being provided with aninner thread corresponding to the outer thread, a holder member having areceiving portion for receiving the connection portion and beingprovided with an inner thread corresponding to the outer thread, whereinthe lens arrangement is assembled by the connection portion of the lensmember being screwed into the through hole of the adjustment member andfurther into the receiving portion of the holder member, wherein thereceiving portion of the holder member has a top engagement surface andthe adjustment member has a bottom engagement surface, wherein theadjustment member is movable relative the holder member by screwingbetween a non-engaging state and an engaging state of the lensarrangement in which engaging state the bottom engagement surface of theadjustment member wedgingly engages with the top engagement surface ofthe receiving portion of the holder member for locking the lens member.

A cost effective assembly of the lens arrangement is thereby provided.An advantage of the lens arrangement is further that it allows the lensmember to be efficiently locked in a desired position relative to theholder member in the engaging state.

The wedged engagement of the bottom engagement surface of the adjustmentmember with the top engagement surface of the receiving portion of theholder member centres and aligns the lens member relative to the holdermember. An alignment of an optical axis of the lens member relative tothe holder member is thereby achieved. Problems associated withmisalignment of the lens member relative to the holder member arefurther mitigated.

The wedged engagement of the bottom engagement surface of the adjustmentmember with the top engagement surface of the receiving portion of theholder member locks the lens member in an axial direction. A relativemovement of the adjustment member and the holder member is therebyreduced along the axial direction.

The optical axis of the lens arrangement may be parallel to the axialdirection.

The wedged engagement of the bottom engagement surface of the adjustmentmember with the top engagement surface of the receiving portion of theholder member further locks the position of the lens member in ahorizontal plane by radial forces. A relative movement of the adjustmentmember and the holder member is thereby reduced in the horizontal plane.

The bottom engagement surface of the adjustment member and the topengagement surface of the receiving portion may have or comprise a ringor a ring-like segment. The radial forces are thereby more uniformlydistributed around the lens member and an improved centring of the lensarrangement is achieved. A simple adjustment of the position of the lensmember relative to the holder member is further provided in thenon-engaging state. The lens arrangement allows the lens member to bedisplaced and locked at a given position along the axial direction.

The lens member may comprise a lens and a structure for supporting thelens.

The lens may be a lens having a fixed focus.

The wording “wedgingly engage” should be understood as a mating of twoengagement surfaces of two elements being brought together along anaxis, wherein the engagement surfaces are inclined relative said axis.“Wedgingly engage” may alternatively be phrased as a wedged or wedgelike engagement. Each of the two elements may be annular in shape, andthus the first element may comprise an annular protrusion having a wedgeshaped cross section, which annular protrusion is received by the secondelement comprising an annular recess having a corresponding wedge shapedcross section. The wedge shaped cross sections of the protrusion and therecess thus allow for an aligned engagement of the first and the secondelement. The wedge like engagement may also be used for conversion ofaxial forces pressing the two elements against each other to radialforces, which as has been described above may be used for reduction ofmovements in the horizontal plane.

The receiving portion may comprise a frustoconical seat forming the topengagement surface of the receiving portion of the holder member, andthe adjustment member having a frustoconical protrusion forming thebottom engagement surface of the adjustment member. The frustoconicalseat is thereby adapted to receive the frustoconical protrusion suchthat a wedged engagement is achieved. An efficient wedged engagement maythereby be achieved.

Alternatively, the adjustment member may comprise a frustoconical seatforming the bottom engagement surface, and the receiving portion havinga frustoconical protrusion forming the top engagement surface of thereceiving portion of the holder member. An alternative structureallowing for efficient wedged engagement may thereby be achieved.

The lens arrangement may further comprise a biasing member arranged at abottom side of the holder member, and adapted to engage the lens memberin an assembled state of the lens arrangement for biasing the lensmember in an axial direction thereof. The biasing member may exert aforce on the lens member in the axial direction of the lens arrangementpressing surfaces of the inner and outer threads together. The biasingmember thereby mitigates play between the inner and outer threads. Thelens member is as a result secured in position such that a displacementof the lens member relative to the adjustment member and the holdermember is counteracted.

The biasing member may comprise an elastic gasket. A resilient biasingmember is thereby provided which may as a response to a compressionexert a force in the axial direction on the lens member. The force maybe anti-parallel to the direction of the compression.

The elastic gasket may have a cross-section having a z-shape.

The elastic gasket having a z-shape should be understood as the gaskethaving a shape resembling the letter z, i.e. having a top portion and abottom portion connected by a mid-portion. The top portion and thebottom portion are typically parallel, but may in some embodiments beskew relative to each other. The angle formed between the top or bottomportion and the mid portion may have different values. The angle may,for example, range between 90 and 45 degrees. The angle may furtherchange when the elastic gasket is subjected to a load. The angle maybecome smaller as a result of a load being exerted on the elasticgasket. A larger load may further reduce the angle. The z-shape of theelastic gasket may, for example, in at least an unloaded state, comprisetwo right angled portions, i.e. each portion being formed as a stephaving a top surface and a side surface that are perpendicular.

The z-shaped gasket may be used for other applications not comprisingthe lens arrangement described above.

The elastic gasket may comprise a silicone rubber.

A robust and durable elastic gasket may thereby be provided in a costeffective way. The elastic gasket may for example be formed by moulding.

The biasing member may be arranged in contact with the lens member andthe holder member for forming an environmental seal. The elastic gasketthereby acts as a protecting layer preventing contaminants from enteringinto the interior of the biasing member. The contaminants may, forexample, be debris formed by the interaction of the inner and outerthreads during the relative motion of the lens member and the adjustmentmember or of the lens member and the holder member.

The biasing member may have an annular shape. A free line of sightthrough the biasing member may further be achieved.

The holder member may comprise an opening at a bottom side thereof,providing a free line of sight between the lens member and an imagesensor being arranged in the vicinity of the bottom side.

The holder member may alternatively comprise the image sensor.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a monitoring cameracomprising the lens arrangement described above is provided.

The monitoring camera may be a digital camera providing video sequences.The function and benefits of the monitoring camera device are describedabove in relation to the lens arrangement. The above mentioned features,when applicable, apply to this second aspect as well. It is noted thatthe invention relates to all possible combinations of features recitedin the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects of the present invention will now be describedin more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showingembodiments of the invention.

As illustrated in the figures, the sizes of layers and regions areexaggerated for illustrative purposes and, thus, are provided toillustrate the general structures of embodiments of the presentinvention. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a lens arrangementarranged in a monitoring camera according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate exploded and assembled perspective sideviews, respectively, of the lens arrangement of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3a illustrates a biasing member in a perspective side viewaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3b and 3c illustrate a cross-sectional side view of the samebiasing member as in FIG. 3a in an unloaded state and a loaded staterespectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferredembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided for thoroughness and completeness, and to fully convey thescope of the invention to the skilled person.

A lens arrangement which may be arranged in a monitoring camera is inthe following described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the lens arrangement 100. Forimproved clarity components of the lens arrangement 100 are illustratedin FIGS. 2a and 2b as exploded and assembled perspective side views,respectively.

The lens arrangement 100 is in FIG. 1 further illustrated to be arrangedin an assembled state in a monitoring camera 200. The monitoring camera200 moreover comprises an image sensor 202 and a housing 204. The lensarrangement 100 is further arranged to distribute and focus light from ascene onto the image sensor 202 such that an image of the scene may beprovided by the image sensor 202. The image obtained by the image sensor202 may form part of a video sequence recorded by the monitoring camera200.

In the following the structure and function of the lens arrangement 100is described, i.e. the position and relative movement of the members102, 104 and 106 is discussed. The lens arrangement 100 comprises a lensmember 102, an adjustment member 104 and a holder member 106. The lensmember 102 has a connection portion 108 which is provided with an outerthread 110.

The adjustment member 104 has a through hole 112 for receiving theconnection portion 108. The connection portion 108 of the lens member102 and the through hole 112 of the adjustment member 104 has acylindrical and annular shape, respectively. The through hole 112 isprovided with an inner thread 114 corresponding to the outer thread 110.The adjustment member 104 further has a bottom engagement surface 113.

The holder member 106 has a receiving portion 116 for receiving theconnection portion 108. The receiving portion 116 has an inner thread118 corresponding to the outer thread 110 of the connection portion 108.The receiving portion 116 has a top engagement surface 120.

The lens arrangement 100 is assembled by screwing the connection portion108 of the lens member 102 into the through hole 112 of the adjustmentmember 104 and further into the receiving portion 116 of the holdermember 106.

In a non-engaging state of the lens arrangement 100, the adjustmentmember 104 is movable relative to the holder member 106. In thenon-engaging state, the lens holder 102 may further be moved in relationto the holder member 106. More specifically, in the non-engaging statethe lens member 102 is in an unlocked position relative to the holdermember 106. The non-engaging state thereby allows for a displacement ofthe lens member 102 in an axial direction 122 relative to the holdermember 106. The displacement is achieved by screwing the lens member 102up and down in the holder member 106. The adjustment member 104 mayduring the displacement follow the lens member 102.

The lens arrangement 100 may be brought in an engaging state by theadjustment member 104 being fastened to the holder member 106. This isachieved by screwing the adjustment member 104 on the lens member 102tightly against the holder member 106. The position of the lens member102 relative to the holder member 106 is in the engaging state locked bythe tightening of the adjustment member 104 to the holder member 106.More specifically, in the engaging state the lens member 102 is fixed ina locked position in the axial direction 122 of the lens member 102relative to the holder member 106. Hence, the lens arrangement 100allows the lens member 102 to be efficiently locked in a desiredposition relative to the holder member 106 in the engaging state. Tothis end, the separation between the lens member 102 and the imagesensor 202 may thereby be set to a desired value.

It should be noted that the lens arrangement 100 may again be broughtfrom the engaging state to the non-engaging state by unscrewing theadjustment member 104 from the holder member 106. Hence, the members 104and 106 may thereby be moved repeatedly between a non-engaging state andan engaging state providing improved adjustment for a user.

The relative movement of the members 102, 104 and 106 is to beunderstood as a rotating motion.

The lens member 102 may further comprise a lens structure 102 a, afocusing ring 102 b and a lock ring 102 c, as illustrated in FIGS. 2aand 2b . The lock ring 102 c is adapted to lock the focusing ring 102 bto the lens structure 102 a. The lens structure 102 a comprises anoptical lens 102 d. In an assembled state of the lens structure 102 athe optical lens 102 d is further adapted to distribute and focus lightreceived from a monitored scene onto an image detector such as the imagesensor 202 of the monitoring camera 200. An image of the scene maythereby be provided by the image sensor 202.

The focusing ring 102 b is adapted to improve the handling of the lensmember 102 such that the lens member 102 may easily be rotated duringthe assembly of the lens arrangement 100. The distance between the lens102 d and image sensor 202 may moreover be adjusted more effectively inthe non-engaging state by the rotation of the focusing ring 120 b i.e.,allowing a user to efficiently tune the light distribution and focusingof light onto the image sensor 202. The focusing ring 102 b and/or theadjustment member 104 may moreover comprise a corrugation 105 furtherimproving the user's grip when rotating the focusing ring 102 b and/orthe adjustment member 104.

In the following, the mechanisms for the locking of the position of lensmember 102 relative to the holder member 106 in the engaging state aredescribed. The wedged engagement of the bottom engagement surface 113with the top engagement surface 120 locks the position of the lensmember 102 in a horizontal plane by radial forces. The horizontal planeis here considered to be substantially perpendicular to the axialdirection 122. The radial forces are provided by the wedged shapes ofthe receiving portion 116 and the bottom engagement surface 113 of theadjustment member 104. The inner thread 114 of the adjustment member 104is thereby pressed by inward directed force components towards the lensmember 102 as the adjustment member 104 is locked in the engaging state.The downward force exerted on the adjustment member 104 as it iswedgingly engaged in the holder member 106 is therefore mediated to thelens member 102. An effective clamping of the lens member 102 isachieved by the inward force components achieved in the engaging state.It should be noted that the inward force components are according tothis embodiment radially directed inward. The inward force componentsare moreover distributed around the lens member 102 providing animproved centring of the lens member 102 in the lens holder 106.

The wedged engagement of the bottom engagement surface 113 with the topengagement surface 120 further aligns the lens member 102 in relation tothe holder member 106. The lens arrangement 100 thereby allows forefficient alignment of the lens member 102 relative to the holder member106 along the axial direction 122. Problems associated with misalignmentof the lens arrangement 100 are thereby mitigated. A cost effective,simplified and precise assembly of the lens arrangement 100 is therebyprovided.

According to this embodiment the wedged engagement is achieved by thereceiving portion 116 comprising a frustoconical seat 124 forming thetop engagement surface 120 of the receiving portion 116 and theadjustment member 104 having a frustoconical protrusion 126 forming thebottom engagement surface 113. The frustoconical protrusion 126 mateswith the frustoconical seat 124 allowing for a directed wedgedengagement. An outer surface of the frustoconical protrusion 126 isfurther adapted to be juxtaposed to an inner surface of thefrustoconical seat 124 in the engaging state.

The lens arrangement 100 further comprises a biasing member 128. Thebiasing member 128 is arranged at a bottom side 130 of the holder member106. The biasing member 128 is an elastic gasket providing resiliencesuch that an outward directed force may be exerted as a response to acompression of the elastic gasket. The compression is achieved when thelens member 102 is screwed into the holder member 106 such that aportion of the lens member 102 is pressed into the biasing member 128.In other words, the biasing member 128 is arranged to engage, in anassembled state of the lens arrangement 100, the lens member 102 suchthat the lens member 102 is biased in the axial direction 122. Thebiasing member 128 may thereby exert a force on the lens member 102 inthe axial direction 122 pressing surfaces of the inner 114, 118 andouter 110 threads together. Play between the inner 114, 118 and theouter thread 110 is thereby reduced. Displacements in the axialdirection 122 of the lens member 102 relative to the holder member 106are thereby mitigated.

It is advantageous that the elastic gasket has a cross-section having az-shape, as illustrated in the FIG. 1. It is further advantageous thatthe biasing member 128 has an annular shape such that the biasing member128 may surround the lens member 102. An environmental seal 132 maythereby be formed in a simple and effective manner. The environmentalseal 132 is formed when the biasing member 128 is in contact with thelens member 102 and the holder member 106. The environmental seal 132may prevent contaminants from entering into the interior of the biasingmember 128, i.e. through the opening 129 of the annular biasing member128. The contaminants may, for example, be debris formed by theinteraction of the inner 114, 118 and outer threads 110 during therelative motion of the lens member 102 and the adjustment member 104 orof the lens member 102 and the holder member 106.

The z-shape of the elastic gasket further provides a cavity 134 inbetween the biasing member 128, the holder member 106 and the lensmember 102. The cavity 134 may be ring-shaped. The cavity 134 maycollect debris or dust particles reducing risk of such contaminantspenetrating through or in under the elastic gasket.

The elastic properties of the biasing member 128 in the form of anelastic gasket having a z-shaped cross section will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 3a-3c . In FIG. 3a the biasing member 128 isillustrated in a perspective side view according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. The biasing member 128 is formed by an elasticgasket having an annular form and a cross section of a shape resemblingthe letter z. It should be noted that the z-shaped cross section istilted, such that the top portion and a bottom portion form an outermostportion 302 and an innermost portion 304, respectively, connected by amid-portion 303. In an unloaded state of the biasing member, theoutermost portion 302 and the innermost portion 304 may have anessentially vertical or axial extension and the mid portion 303 may havean essentially horizontal or radial extension.

More specifically, the elastic gasket has a cross-section with a z-shape300, as illustrated in FIGS. 3b and 3c . In FIG. 3b a cross-sectionalside view of the z-shaped elastic gasket is shown. The elastic gasket isarranged in between a top surface 301 a and a bottom surface 301 b andis in an unloaded state. In other words, the surfaces 301 a and 301 bare separated a distance do from each other such that substantially noforce is exerted on the biasing member 128. In this unloaded state theoutermost portion 302 and the innermost portion 304 of the elasticgasket are substantially parallel relative to each other and the midportion 303 extends substantially parallel to the surfaces 301 a and 301b. Hence, the z-shape of the elastic gasket comprises two right angles306 a and 306 b such that the elastic gasket is formed as a step havinga top surface 307 a and a side surface 307 b that are substantiallyperpendicular relative to each other.

FIG. 3c illustrates the same elastic gasket but in a loaded state, i.e.the surfaces 301 a and 301 b are instead separated a distance d₁,smaller than d₀, from each other such that that a force is exerted onthe elastic gasket. As a result the shape of the elastic gasket ischanged. The inner portion of the elastic gasket may be described tobend such that the inner end 303 a of the mid portion 303 drops inheight relative to the outer end 303 b of the mid portion 303. In otherwords, the elastic gasket is compressed in a direction perpendicular tothe surfaces 301 a and 301 b. Hence, the step like shape of the elasticgasket is transformed into a more pronounced z-shape, the z-shapecomprising two angles 308 a and 308 b which are smaller than anglesformed by the two right angles 306 a and 306 b. The angles 308 a and 308b may further become smaller as a result of an increased load beingexerted on the elastic gasket. The elastic gasket may thereby provideresilience to the load such that an axially directed force may beexerted as a response to a compression of the elastic gasket. Thez-shape further provides a response to compression such that the axiallydirected force may be linear over a distance interval, i.e. the z-shapeprovides a linear response range for the elastic gasket. The top surface301 a may for example be a portion of the lens member 102 which ispressed into the biasing member 128 as the lens member 102 is screwedinto the holder member 106 and the bottom surface 301 b may be thebottom side 130 of the holder member 106 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thebiasing member 128 may thereby exert a linear force on the lens member102 in the axial direction 122 pressing surfaces of the inner 114, 118and outer 110 threads together. Play between the inner 114, 118 and theouter threads 110 are thereby reduced. Displacements in the axialdirection of the lens member 102 relative to the holder member 106 arethereby mitigated.

The compressibility and linear response of the z-shaped elastic gasketmay further improve tuning of the distance between the lens member 102and the holder member 106. More specifically, the z-shaped elasticgasket may provide a linear response range in which the separation ofthe lens member 102 to the holder member 106 may be adjusted with agiven resistance in the non-engaging state. A more precise adjustment ofthe lens member 102 relative to the holder member 106 may thereby beprovided.

In the linear response range, the adjustment of the location of the lensmember 102 relative to the holder member 106 further allows foreffective focusing and refocusing of light from a monitoring scene ontoto the image sensor. In other words, the tuning of the lightdistribution and focusing of light received from a monitoring scene ontothe image sensor 202 may, moreover, be adjusted more effectively by thelinear tuning of the distance between the lens 102 d and the imagesensor 202. The linear response range may cover a given variation of theback focal length of the optical lens 102 d. The linear response rangemay for example be ±1 mm, preferably 0.25 mm. Hence, the location of thelens member 102 relative to the holder member 106 may be tuned linearlyover these ranges. The skilled person in the art realizes that the rangeover which the axially directed force is linear may differ from thevalues given above. The linear response range may, for example, dependon the dimensions or the material of the elastic gasket.

It should be noted that the z-shaped gasket may be used for otherapplications not comprising the lens arrangement described above.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by nomeans is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On thecontrary, many modifications and variations are possible within thescope of the appended claims.

For example, the monitoring camera may be a digital camera providingvideo sequences.

The elastic gasket may comprise a silicone rubber. A robust and durableelastic gasket may thereby be provided in a cost effective way. Theelastic gasket may for example be formed by moulding.

The adjustment member may comprise a frustoconical seat forming thebottom engagement surface, and the receiving portion having afrustoconical protrusion forming the top engagement surface of thereceiving portion of the holder member.

The axial direction may be the optical axis of the lens arrangement.

Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understoodand effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed invention,from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements orsteps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude aplurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutuallydifferent dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of thesemeasures cannot be used to advantage.

What is claimed is:
 1. An elastic gasket to be positioned between a topsurface and a bottom surface, the elastic gasket comprising: a bodyhaving a z-shaped cross section and arranged to provide a force inresponse to compression, wherein the force is anti-parallel to adirection of the compression.
 2. The elastic gasket according to claim1, wherein the elastic gasket comprises a silicone rubber.
 3. Theelastic gasket according to claim 1, wherein the elastic gasket has anannular shape.
 4. The elastic gasket according to claim 3, in which theelastic gasket in a loaded state thereof is arranged to be subjected toa compression, the direction of compression being parallel to a centralaxis of the elastic gasket.
 5. The elastic gasket according to claim 1,wherein the z-shaped cross section comprises: a top portion, a bottomportion, and a mid portion connecting the top portion and the bottomportion; wherein the top portion and the bottom portion have anextension along an axis parallel to the direction of compression.
 6. Theelastic gasket according to claim 1, wherein the z-shaped cross sectioncomprises: a top portion, a bottom portion, and a mid portion connectingthe top portion and the bottom portion; and wherein a first angle isformed between the top portion and the mid portion, and a second angleis formed between the bottom portion and the mid portion, wherein therespective angle in a loaded state of the gasket is a function of themagnitude of a load applied to the gasket such that the respective angledecreases in a response to a larger load.
 7. The elastic gasketaccording to claim 1, wherein the z-shaped cross section comprises: atop portion, a bottom portion, and a mid portion connecting the topportion and the bottom portion; wherein, in an unloaded state of theelastic gasket, a first right angle is formed between the top portionand the mid portion, and a second right angle is formed between thebottom portion and the mid portion.
 8. A system comprising: a topsurface, a bottom surface, and an elastic gasket; wherein the elasticgasket is arranged between the top surface and the bottom surface andthe elastic gasket comprises a body having a z-shaped cross section;wherein the elastic gasket in a loaded state, in which a distancebetween the top surface and the bottom surface has been reduced by arelative movement of the top surface and bottom surface towards eachother along an axis, provides a force in response to engagement of thegasket with the top and bottom surfaces; and wherein the force isanti-parallel to the axis.
 9. A method for using an elastic gasket toprovide a force in response to compression, the method comprising:arranging the elastic gasket between a top surface and a bottom surface,wherein the elastic gasket comprises a body having a z-shaped crosssection; applying a load to the elastic gasket by reducing the distancebetween the top surface and the bottom surface by a relative movement ofthe surfaces towards each other along an axis, whereby the elasticgasket provides a force being anti-parallel to the axis in the loadedstate.